


now the flower blooms

by cosmic strings (electrick)



Category: Chihayafuru
Genre: Gen, coming of age?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-24
Updated: 2013-06-24
Packaged: 2017-12-16 00:03:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electrick/pseuds/cosmic%20strings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s not that child anymore who plays to win. He’s grown up and he knows his skills and he knows his faults. His major fault. That’s what drives him. It’s his will to turn his fault into his advantage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	now the flower blooms

He’s known that Arata, Chihaya and he share a deep friendship, and he knows for a fact that Chihaya values that relationship more than any other relationship she has, except for her one with karuta. Taichi has an inkling of a notion that Chihaya places karuta above anything else in her life.

He knows how important it is for Chihaya to play Shinobou-san and Megumu-san and other possible Queen contestants because that’s what they’ve been practicing for this whole year. For Chihaya to play in the Mejin qualifiers.

Every one on the team has put so much effort into their training, even Hanano-san and Tsukuba-kun. Taichi sees the effort that they put at the Shiranami Society and he’s so proud to be the president of this team. Sometimes when taking the train, Taichi thinks about how much has changed from when they were younger. He remembers how he was back then, childish and immature, stopping at nothing to win. He had that drive and motivation to always be the best and now, he regrets some of his past decisions. The top one would always be stealing Arata’s glasses as a way to ensure his victory. He’s surprised that he managed to see Arata’s talent even back then. 

He sighs deeply as he closes his eyes and leans back into the seat. It’s pretty late and he’s positive his mom will scold him yet again for coming back after sunset but with the team competition coming up, he can’t afford to waste a single moment. He wishes he could spend all of his time practicing with everyone no scratch that, with Chihaya. 

Whenever he plays and Chihaya watches, he second guesses himself and he feels like he has to put on a show, like he’s trying to impress her with karuta. But Taichi knows that’s beyond ridiculous. Chihaya knows Taichi’s karuta just as well as she knows her own. After all, they learned together. 

At some point in time, Taichi thought he might have had a chance with Chihaya when Arata moved but they were too young back then to know what love truly was, other than their love for karuta. But after Arata left, nothing was the same. Taichi slowly went back to soccer and Chihaya drifted away from his life ever so slowly. It was almost a dull ache when he saw her again that fateful day and he has never looked back since.

He’s been through few relationships, never committing himself to anyone because there hasn’t been anyone to commit to since her. It’s always been her and truthfully, that’s why he hasn’t looked forward. Because he’s stuck in the past.

He wishes it could be like how it was when they were younger. Their only care was karuta: getting the cards and growing as a team. But now, they’re older and hormones are in play and it seems like everyone is noticing things, except for Chihaya. She’s in her world, and in her world, nothing matter except playing karuta and having fun while doing so. She’s still the same. Things may have changed since they were younger. Sure, her hair grew and Taichi grew older and Arata moved away but one thing never changed. How much Chihaya loved both of them.

And its that love that gets him every time. He knows deep down that even though Chihaya thinks she loves them both, he knows the way she looks at Arata and how she is when she’s simply thinking of him and Taichi wonder for a moment if its because Arata’s so good at karuta.

And then he realizes that’s not it nor will it ever be. Chihaya and Arata had their first karuta match in that tatami mat of the run down apartment and that’s her peak. That’s what drives Chihaya.

Soon, he comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t play karuta for Chihaya, or for Arata or to prove his worth to his mom, Chihaya, Arata or anybody else. He’s not that child anymore who plays to win. He’s grown up and he knows his skills and he knows his faults. His major fault. That’s what drives him. It’s his will to turn his fault into his advantage. 

He won’t accept defeat, not quite that easily. For some reason, when Arata assumed Taichi and Chihaya would have gotten together after his departure, Taichi’s heart swelled and truthfully, he has assumed so as well. But things were different and Chihaya was never that type of girl. He doesn't know what he has to do to make Chihaya notice him because right now, Taichi knows matter-of-factedly that Chihaya doesn’t see him and Arata the same way. 

All he wants is for her to see him, for what he’s become. And the only way to make Chihaya see that is through his karuta. Luck has never been on his side, surely Oe-san and Miyauchi-sensei can attest to that. But now, he’s not playing to win the Class B finals or another karuta competition. This time, he’s playing to win the girl of his dreams.


End file.
